Job market in Brisbane (healthcare)

[Ozblueskies]

Hi everybody,

some of you may know that I am contemplating of making the move from Sydney to Brisbane. I am single, female, in my early 40s and work in the healthcare industry (physio background, currently working as a rehab advisor for an insurance).

I am at a point where I feel it's not making any financial sense to stay in Sydney.  People always say that the higher salaries make up for the higher living costs (esp. rental costs), however, this is not really the case in my industry (healthcare) - I would probably earn a similar salary in Brisbane.

Now, here's the catch - from my own experience (I lived in Brisbane for a few years up until 2012), employers often prefer local applicants, hence, interstate applications will hardly lead to any success (unless you're highly specialised or if there is a severe shortage).  Therefore, realistically, I could probably get into contact with a few employers but my gut feeling tells me that most of them will tell me to get back to them once I am in Brisbane.

My 2 questions are: How did you manage your interstate move? Did you have a job to go to or did you find it beneficial to actually be there in order to be seriously considered for positions?

My other question refers to the current job market in Brisbane, especially in health (not necessarily just physio but overall, the healthcare industry) - how hard is it to find a job? Is there a lot of competition (given that Brisbane currently experiences a surge in interstate migration) or is this not applicable to the healthcare industry? I feel that just looking around on SEEK sometimes doesn't tell you the whole story so would love to hear any personal experiences.

 

[BrownEyedGal]

Hi Ozblueskies

I am thinking with a similar view to yourself about moving to Brisbane. 

I'm currently working casual as hospital admin and know that the skills are transferable. I think Brisbane may a different lifestyle to Sydney. I actually want to enjoy doing things, not feeling so tired that I spend my free time at home.

Yes, I would definitely value some insight form our PIO members.

BEGal

[aconcannon]

We’re making a similar move ourselves very soon from Sydney to the Gold Coast. We’re going to start applying for jobs from Sydney a few weeks before we’re due to leave, but like you I fear we won’t even get responses to our applications so it’ll potentially be a waste of time. Sorry I can’t answer the question for you about the Brisbane job market for your industry. Good luck!